University Health System has suspended Medicare and Medicaid billing while investigating whether its outpatient clinic operations meet federal regulations.

The health system, which took over operations at the former LSU Hospital in Shreveport and E.A. Conway in Monroe, plans to take over all scheduling and dismantle what it calls "faculty clinics." Administrators on Aug. 5 sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid outlining plans to make sure University Health can document its control over the outpatient clinics previously operated by LSU Health Shreveport.

The same LSU Medical School faculty members and medical residents at the school provide care to University Health patients in the hospital and at clinics as they did when the hospital was operated publicly.

In a letter to LSU Health Shreveport Chancellor Dr. Robert Barish, University Health CEO Rod Huebbers said audit data "pointed to" a two-tier scheduling system in which people with insurance "were more likely to be treated in a 'faculty' clinic" while otherswere more likely to be treated in what Huebbers called "resident" clinics.

The letter University Health sent to federal officials doesn't include a specific allegation about scheduling disparities.

In his letter to Barish, Huebbers said that anecdotal information gathered by auditors pointed to a dual scheduling system.

"Included in the Murer Group's audit investigation were interviews with staff validating that the consideration of payer source was a long standing practice by LSU when determining which clinic a patient would be (treated by) and how quickly the patient would be seen," the letter said.

The medical school is reviewing its own data from the previous financial year when the clinics were under the public hospital's control, Mighty said. The school's compliance officer will look at scheduling and the percentage of people with Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance and no insurance, among other statistics.

Mighty and Barish said they haven't received a copy of the audit data from University Health.

Mighty said he's also trying to get an accurate definition of "faculty clinic" from University Health administrators. He said residents supervised by a faculty member see patients in the clinics as part of their continuing education.

Scheduling for the clinics is "a mixed bag," with some specialists handling individual patient scheduling, and employees of a University Health subcontractor handling others, he said. LSU Health faculty members who see patients have access to the medical records system used for scheduling.

"If someone says to me there may be long wait times, that may be the case," Mighty said. "We don't believe there is a differential scheduling system."